How to get Movember’s moustache-of-the-moment

A return to the era's most notable facial furniture: the moustache

The Seventies trend in menswear is set to peak over the months, and it’s not just the clothes on our backs that will be affected — it’s infiltrating our grooming regimes too. Look at the best-dressed men on the red carpet and you’ll see hair getting shaggier, unwaxed chests becoming more visible, and — crucially — a return to the era’s most notable facial furniture: the moustache.

However, when it comes to ‘taches, there’s a fine line between looking as good as a guy like Tom Selleck and your childhood science teacher — it’s all in the way you cultivate it. Perhaps the best example of how to do it right can be currently seen on Chris Pratt — and most recently Chris Pine.

By keeping their sideburns slightly longer and not going completely clean-shaven, this type of moustache looks that little bit more rugged – and, for all you guys out there who get less coverage on your top lip, having that extra stubble helps give the illusion that there’s more hair under your nose than if it were sitting on its own.

It’s a look we like to call the “high-end hillbilly” because, even though it comes into its own with a chest-baring shirt, it is still sleek enough to wear with a suit, as proven by Pine during his tailored-to-the-max appearance on the Star Trek Beyond red carpet in San Diego.

To find out how to cultivate this model of moustache, we spoke to Simon Crawford, barber and grooming expert at Johnny’s Chop Shop in London, for his step-by-step guide to getting on that Seventies vibe. Far out.

The kit you need:

Beard trimmer.

Razor (for shaving strays).

Moustache comb (or hair comb with fine teeth).

Beard oil/moustache wax.

Mini clippers (for more precise shaping – optional).

How to style a Seventies moustache:

1/7

Image: Facebook

Let it grow

Grow your beard out to about 4 or 5mm. It’s easier to trim it back than shape it continually while you’re waiting for your moustache to grow.

Image: Rohan Shrestha

Heat it up

It’s best to do this after a shower as the hair follicles will be open from the heat, causing less skin irritation.

Get your sideburns right

Keep your sideburns about 2cm below your ear. Anything more than this and you’ll start to look like an extra from My Name Is Earl. For a truly Seventies look, allow the sideburns to grow out towards your nose along your beard line – however, if you want to keep the look more suit-appropriate, keep them squared off.

Image: Facebook

Clip it back

Trim your facial hair back – excluding your moustache and sideburns – to about a 2mm (or a number one setting on a pair of clippers). Shave above your cheeks and below your Adam’s apple if you tend to get stray hair there – but don’t be too perfect about it as this is meant to look a bit more relaxed and rugged.

Image: Getty Images

Trim the 'tache

Make sure your moustache is uniform by combing it downwards and trimming using your stubble trimmer with the guard removed – or scissors, for next-level prowess. Comb the hair downwards and cut to about 3mm below the lip line so that it bounces up to sit right on your upper lip when you remove the comb.

Cool down

Splash your face with cold water (or, even better, lie back with a cold flannel taken straight from the fridge) to close your the freshly-shaved hair follicles on your face.

Image: Tarun Vishwa

Keep it sleek

Rub a drop of beard oil into your fingers and smooth on to condition your moustache. To control the hair even further, apply moustache wax using your comb – or, if that’s too heavy for men with less top lip coverage, use a hair pomade which makes for a great alternative.